Several people asked for this recipe. You're welcome to share it with others, but please give due credit. Enjoy!
This recipe could be Vegan with the changes in parenthesis
Sauce:
4 cups skim milk, or low fat soy milk
2 large garlic cloves – or 2 Tbsp minced – no garlic powder!!
1 large bay leaf
1 slice of sweet onion, ½ inch thick
¼ cup fresh parsley loosely packed or 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
4 Tablespoons white flour
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (olive oil)
Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
Filling:
1 medium butternut squash (2.5 lbs or so)
1 large sweet potato or yam
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, chopped – not dried or powder!
1 small onion, chopped coarsely
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or ¾ cup if using black walnuts
1 cup chopped parsley, loosely packed
2 teaspoons rubbed sage or 15 or so big fat sage leaves, chopped
½ nutmeg, grated; or ¼ tsp ground nutmeg from a spice bottle
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (good tasting soy cheese of a melting Swiss variety)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese --NOT out of a green can, please! (the equivalent in soy)
9 no-boil lasagna noodles
Filling:-- Can be done 2 days ahead
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds. Oil the cut sides lightly. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick oil. Place the squash flesh down on the baking sheet.
Poke fork holes in the skin of the sweet potato or yam. Place on the baking sheet.
Roast at 400 degrees for an hour, or until a fork easily penetrates the squash.
Scoop out the flesh of the squash and the potato and place in a food mill or food processor. Sieve the flesh to remove the stringing things and any stubborn skin.
In a sauce pan, heat the oil and warm the garlic until golden. Add the chopped onion and sauté until tender. Stir in the nuts and allow to brown slightly. Remove from the heat and add the herbs. Stir this mixture into the squash mixture. Season with the nutmeg.
Sauce:
In a large microwavable measuring cup, heat the milk to scalding – don’t let it boil. Add the garlic, bay, onion, and parsley. Cover and allow to steep at least half an hour. Longer if you have the time. Strain in a tea strainer to remove the solids. Reheat to about 120 degrees.
In a sauce pan, melt the butter/olive oil and slowly whisk in the flour. Stir until bubbly but not yet brown. Whisk in the strained milk and stir until the mixture begins to thicken. Reduce heat and allow to thicken and flour to cook, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assembly
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a rectangular pan (10 X 12 or 9 X 13) with non stick spray. Spread 1cup of the sauce on the bottom of the pan. Place three noodles on top of the layer. Spread half of the squash over the noodles. Spread a cup of the sauce, 1/3 cup of Parmesan and ½ cup of Gruyere over the sauce. Repeat noodles, squash, sauce and cheeses. Add last layer of noodles, and spread the last of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the last of the Parmesan
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 25 minutes longer or until the top is golden. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 20 minutes before cutting.
This is really good served with a dark green Kale or brightly steamed broccoli.
